Greek letters can be found all across the country on different college campuses. Whether it be on a building, the back of a student’s shirt, or in the college newspapers, these letters are displayed nationwide. The meaning of these letters is often questioned, with each combination standing for a different thing. The Greek letters carry a lot of weight, often stirring up some controversy. How can a combination of two or three simple letters carry so much meaning? Although it is proven that extracurricular activities can boost a student’s success (Astin), are Greek organizations necessary? Throughout my research I have found that while some schools are embracing new chapters, others are eliminating certain chapters, or even banishing all Greek life in general. This past year at Harvard University a panel was created to eliminate all exclusive clubs from campus (Bidgood). Greek organizations have existed since as early as December 5, 1776, yet they have only been regarded as problematic in recent years (“The History of Phi Beta Kappa”). The debate surrounding sororities and fraternities stems in part from the fact that they seem to have drifted from their original intent as academic organizations. This alleged abandonment of tradition is double-edged in the sense that the many positive changes and developments are overlooked, while the serious issues, such as binge drinking, sexual assault, and hazing take the spotlight.

Before I take a closer look into this change, it is important to share my current status within Greek Life. This past August, I personally went through sorority recruitment, and I am a new member of the Etta Gamma chapter of Chi Omega. Despite my evident association with Greek organizations, my stance remains neutral. In fact, I believe that my new affiliation with Greek Life has enhanced my ethos on this particular topic. The media often paints a picture different from reality, so being aware of this allows me to have a strong grasp on this topic. In turn, my knowledge of what happens behind the scenes allows me to see what most people cannot. Rather than being distracted by the newspaper headlines. I am able to get the full picture of the positives that are often hidden by the negatives.

 It’s difficult to analyze the status of Greek Organizations without looking into their history. Greek letter organizations have been established on campuses as early as the late 1700’s. During this time, education was being restricted and schools had to follow a specific curriculum. Glass explains how, “In the 1820’s, less than 1% of white males went to liberal arts colleges and universities primarily trained their students to become ministers.” Fraternities were created as secret academic groups, where men would gather and share new knowledge and discoveries that were not always condoned through their educational systems. Sororities were also created for an academic platform for women to learn and bond with one another. The first sororities were created as a place where women suffrage groups could grow in numbers and have a stronger central goal (Glass). Most would argue that fraternities and sororities are no longer academic organizations, however there are Professional fraternities. Professional fraternities are purely academic, and are created for individuals in the same field to come together and grow academically. The Beta Alpha Psi Fraternity is an academic organization that is geared towards business majors. In the Alpha Psi Constitution, the founders state that, “The purpose of Beta Alpha Psi shall be to: recognize outstanding academic achievement in the field of accounting, finance, and information systems; promote the study and practice of professional fields related to these disciplines” (“BAP Constitution and Bylaws”). The purposes stated in the very first article of the constitution demonstrate how the intent for this particular organization is to better the field of finance, and create a place where accomplished individuals with similar interest can join together to grow. Many academic organizations, similar to Beta Alpha Phi, can be found across the country. 

Although current academic fraternities hold the values of their predecessors, they have gone through a shift. The membership guidelines have been changed to match our more accepting society. These Fraternities are no longer only comprised of men, but females are also welcome. Academic Organizations are less popular than other Greek letter societies, and are not the Greek letter Organizations that are my focus here. 

The Greek organizations that will be analyzed throughout this essay are categorized as social organizations. There are five categories of Greek organizations: social, service, professional, honors, and ethnic. Social organization is the most popular and is the one that the majority of people think about when they hear the words “fraternity” or “sorority”. This classification includes organizations that revolve around the idea of building character and growth on a personal level. In addition, these organizations fall under this category because they discriminate based on gender. Social organizations also all have a rigorous rush and pledge process (Nobile). When Greek life started, only professional fraternities existed, now there are more members of social organizations than professional fraternities. The different classifications of organizations make it evident that a shift has occurred in the Greek world. 

Not only did the classifications of these organization change, but the types of members did too. When Greek organizations were first created they had very strict guidelines regarding what members could be accepted. For example, the first fraternities were made up solely of white males. Currently, Greek organizations have laws that make such guidelines illegal. Christopher Moore, a professor at Ball State University, gave a Ted Talk titled, “Diversity in Greek Life”. Moore discussed how current fraternities and sororities are very diverse. Moore, an African American, joined a predominately white fraternity. At first, he was nervous that he would be an outcast, but he said that his race did not play a factor. The bond that he had created with his new brothers was one he had never experienced before. Moore’s personal experience with diversity in Greek organizations demonstrates a positive shift. In addition to Moore, an article titled “When a Feminist Joins a Sorority”, highlights many diverse women in Greek Life. The article discusses how women of all different cultures are bonded in sisterhood through their feminist values. One of the feminists highlighted in the article is Amulya Kandikonda, a Barnard Sophomore, who is Nigerian and lives in Miami. Most people when thinking of the “sorority girl” imagine characters found in movies. Movies such as Legally Blonde, portray the “sorority girl” as attractive blonde skinny girls. However, the shift transformation in Greek Organizations has made it impossible to define the “sorority girl”, because there isn’t just one type. Greek Organizations allow people to create lifetime connections with individuals who are very different than them, because they share one bond—their fraternity or sorority.  In a day and age where racism is still prevalent in modern society, it could be very beneficial for people to join diverse brotherhoods or sisterhoods. By spending time with diverse groups, our future generation can learn more about other culture, and be more accepting in society. Due the positive shift in Greek diversity, college students are now given an opportunity to both spread their cultural ideals, as well as to learn those of others.

Another positive shift that has occurred in the Greek world is the focus on community service. Nicole Glass, wrote an article in USA TODAY, explaining the positive impact Greek organization have. Glass explains that not many people know about this impact because, “scandals make headlines — and fundraisers and philanthropy events generally do not.”

As Glass mentions, each sorority is affiliated with a certain philanthropy. Throughout the year sororities will hold events, raise money, and get involved to help their Philanthropy. Some examples of these sorority-philanthropy connections are: Chi Omega and The Make a Wish Foundation, Tri-Delta and St. Jude’s research hospital, and Alpha Delta Pi and The Ronald McDonald House. In addition to their philanthropy, many sororities are also involved in other service projects within their community. Many colleges are surrounded by impoverished areas, so giving back to the community has a huge impact. The original intent for Greek organizations was to spread knowledge and help improve society through education. Greek organizations now take that a step further by creating a place where thousands of individuals can come together to make a bigger change through service. The huge positive impact that Greek organizations now have on society demonstrates an evident positive change that Greek organizations have undergone.

Sadly, the shift that has occurred in Greek life in not all positive. There is a reason why I argue that the progression of these organizations is double-edged. One cannot ignore one of the biggest problems with Greek life, bring drinking. The Harvard School of Public Health preformed many studies and discovered, “Nonresident fraternity members binge drank (71%) at a higher rate than non-members (45%)” (Biddix, 14). The studied found a very strong association between fraternities and binge drinking. Another article a discusses the relationship between Greek life and drinking stating, “Some negative effects of membership include more drinking during college, more time spent partying, and more excessive drinking post-college (for males)” (Routh and Walker). Both articles conclude that there is an association between drinking and Greek organizations. A question arose, what causes this strong association between drinking and Greek Life? One explanation was the social atmosphere associated with these organizations. Greek organizations are surrounded by an atmosphere filled with drinking, drugs, and partying. In fact, many individuals are making the decision to joining Greek life solely for the parties. It is very apparent that the Greek life atmosphere has gone through a negative shift causing many serious issues, such as binge drinking.

The shift in the atmosphere of Greek Life has also caused the practice of hazing. Hazing occurs in both fraternities and sororities. Toniqua Charee Mikell wrote a book titled, “Getting Away with Murder: Hazing, Hegemonic Masculinity, and Victimization”, which went in great detail about the many secret rituals Greek organizations have. One chapter discusses different types of hazing such as, “…physical punching, slapping, striking, kicking or beating, forced sex acts, and being locked in a room against one’s will” (qtd. Mikell). The realization is that non-members want to become members so badly that they accept these “team building activities”. The non-members even have to take an oath to never discuss these terrible acts. Another study was mentioned in the same chapter regarding the importance of hazing, “Interestingly, affiliated students believe that hazing of any sort does not benefit the group” (Mikell). If members do not believe that hazing has any benefits, then why does it occur?  Hazing activities only problems, such as the physical and mental effects. The fist fraternities did not have the issue of exclusiveness because the demand for membership was not as high. Currently, Greek organizations have become so exclusive that people are willing to go through terrible situations to prove themselves worthy. The shift in the atmosphere of Greek organizations, especially the raise in exclusiveness, highlights an evident change from their original purpose. 

The biggest problem caused by the shift in Greek organizations, are the deaths they have caused. As mentioned in prior paragraphs, binge drinking and hazing are serious issues associated with Greek organizations. These two problems have caused a numerous amount of deaths. History shows that, “Since 1975, there has been at least one hazing-induced death per year across college campuses— and 82% of these have come as a result of binge drinking” (Glass).  All across the country, news headlines highlighting these tragic events appear in the media. In recent years, fraternity-related deaths have occurred at Penn State, LSU, and Florida State. Just last year at Penn State, a 19-year-old boy named Timothy Piazza died at a Betta Theta Phi party. Authorities found footage that showed, “...the final hours of Tim Piazza’s life, including that he had been given at least 18 alcoholic drinks over 82 minutes at the Feb. 2 fraternity party” (Haag). The cause of Timothy’s death was binge drinking, which would not be a problem in the shift in Greek Organizations did not occur. Another incident took place at LSU, where Maxwell Gruver, an 18-year-old freshman, died. Gruver died during a fraternity hazing ordeal in which, “The pledges were told to line up in a dark hallway and place their noses and toes against the wall, the warrant said. A strobe light was flashing and loud music was playing” (Saul). Gruver’s life would not have been lost if Greek organizations did not partake in hazing. The most recent death occurred at Florida State, the headline read, “Florida State Suspends all Greek Life after pledge dies” (Levenson and Hassan). A 20-year-old pledge named, Andrew Coffey died after a party at a Phi Delta Theta party. The party scene was never a part of the original Greek organizations, so if the shift never occurred another life could have been saved. The shift in Greek organizations have created fraternities that are surrounded by partying, drinking, hazing, and most importantly death. 

The shift in Greek organization is two sided in the sense that there are many positive and negative changes. It is nearly impossible to make a conclusion regarding the existence of these organizations due to this double-sided shift. The talk about banning Greek life in all has echoed throughout many college campuses, yet a change is never made. These organizations included, 76% of US senators, 63% of the US Presidential Cabinet, 85% of Fortune 500 executives, and 18 presidents (Routon and Walker). How can one argue for the elimination of these organization, if many of its members have helped run this country? In addition to influential members, each year Greek organizations give hours of their time, raising awareness and millions of dollars for a greater cause. Despite the many positives, one cannot turn a blind eye to the serious issues associated with Greek organizations. Statistics show an obvious correlation between binge drinking and Greek organizations. In addition, tragic events continue to make newspaper headlines. It is clear that students believe that Greek life is an important aspect to college campuses because the number of students who rush continues to rise. As for universities, their decision regarding Greek organizations is undecided. Universities often ban Greek Life after tragic events, but the ban is often temporary. Greek life bans are often temporary because these organizations provide many perks for the University. Students are more likely to apply to schools with Greek life, and Greek life is a moneymaking machine. Statistics show that, “fraternity and sorority alumni represent the largest sector of lifetime donors to colleges, four times more than non-Greeks”(Chang). Since the Universities are unable to make a decision about Greek life it is up to the students. As Nicole glass explained while discussing the reputations of Greek life, “At the end of the day it’s up to the students to define their reputations”. Students make up Greek organizations, so it is up to them to rehabilitate fraternities and sororities, by making the shift solely positive. 
